1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle with a riding saddle, and more particularly to a motor vehicle such as a motorcyle, or a three- or four-wheeled motor vehicle with a riding saddle for use in trail riding.
2. Description of Relevant Art
One known motor vehicle with a riding saddle for use in trail riding is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Preliminary Publication No. 56-135386. The disclosed motor vehicle has a minimum height from ground which is larger than that of general motorcycles to prevent the vehicle bottom from touching ground surfaces of rough terrain. The motor vehicle also has a rider's seat or saddle and various accessories attached at a low height to keep the center of gravity of the vehicle body low for intended easier vehicle control.
In the above conventional motor vehicle design, a rear wheel damper is positioned in a dead space near the engine and extends substantially horizontally on a longitudinal central line of the motor vehicle, thus achieving the aforesaid advantages. However, where the rear wheel damper is disposed on the longitudinal central line, accessories such as an air cleaner, the prechamber of an exhaust pipe and the like are required to project above or laterally of the rear wheel damper. This arrangement fails to lower the center of gravity of the vehicle body sufficiently, and also to reduce the width of the vehicle body.
Generally, the frame structure of motorcycles includes a single main tube extending rearwardly from a head pipe at its center across the width thereof. The main tube is required to extend through a position sufficiently spaced upwardly from the engine so as not to interfere with the carburetor connected to the upper portion of the engine. A connecting tube by which the carburetor and an air cleaner case disposed behind the carburetor are interconnected is also required to lie outwardly and laterally of the vehicle body since the main pipe has a rear end directed downwardly at a large angle and positioned at the center across the width of the vehicle body. This arrangement of the main tube and the connecting tube thereby imposes a limitation on the lowering of the center of gravity of the vehicle body and the reduction of the width of the vehicle body.
The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the aforesaid problems of the conventional motor vehicle with a riding saddle.